Forensic age estimation in living subjects: the ethnic factor in wisdom tooth mineralization

Abstract

Radiological assessment of the mineralization stage of third molars is a major criterion for age estimation of living people involved in criminal proceedings. To date insufficient knowledge has been obtained about how the ethnic origin can influence tooth mineralization. A comparative study of wisdom tooth mineralization was carried out on three population samples: one German, one Japanese and one South African. To this end, 3,652 conventional orthopantomograms were evaluated on the basis of Demirjian's stages. The Japanese subjects were on average 1-2 years older than their German counterparts upon reaching stages D-F, whereas the South African subjects were on average 1-2 years younger than the Germans when displaying stages D-G. To enhance the accuracy of forensic age estimates based on wisdom tooth mineralization we recommend the use of population-specific standards.

Dental age diagnostics by means of radiographical evaluation of the growth stages of lower wisdom teeth

“…For the remaining age groups of 17 to 22, the mean value for stage H did not change in comparison to all age groups (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). The mean value for stage D however increased considerably by almost 2 years from 16.4 to 18.2 (see Table 3, stage D).…”

“…Olze et al [15] were able to show an influence of ethnicity on mineralization of the wisdom teeth for stages D-F for Japanese and D-G for South Africans. For stage H, an ethnic influence could neither be proven nor disproven.…”

“…Based on the recommendations of the Study Group on Forensic Age Diagnostics [18,19], the forensic age estimation of living people included a physical examination, an X-ray of the left hand, and a dental examination. An important criterion in the dental examination is wisdom tooth root growth [1,4,8,13,15].…”

Accuracy of Dental Age in Nonadults: A Comparison of Two Methods for Age Estimation Using Radiographs of Developing Teeth

“…For example, when considering the timing of fusion of secondary ossification centers throughout the skeleton researchers have discovered that rates for such events can be affected by the sex of the individual and their ancestry and birth century (Crowder & Austin 2005, Cunha et al 2009, Scheuer & Black 2004). However, others have cited differences in the environment and social economic status for differences in maturation rates (Saunders et al 1993, Olze et al 2004, Langley-Shirley & Jantz 2010, Shirley & Jantz 2011, Vucic et al 2014. Furthermore, due to the more fragile nature of immature bone and destructive taphonomic processes, as well as inadequate recovery techniques, non-adult individuals may only be partially represented (Gordon & Buikstra 1981, Pokines & De La Paz 2016Walker et al 1988.…”

Comparative study on the effect of ethnicity on wisdom tooth eruption

“…Wisdom tooth mineralization has been the main criterion used for dental age diagnosis in adolescents so far. Olze et al [13] studied the effects of ethnicity on wisdom tooth mineralization. To summarize, the authors concluded that their Caucasoid population ranked in the middle of the investigated ethnic groups in terms of dental development as defined by their age at reaching the large majority of mineralization stages.…”